Trip Report: Morocco April 7-20, 2019 Audubon Society of Portland Stefan Schlick ([email protected])

Intro

Portland’s first trip to Morocco was a full success!! We enjoyed the culture, making stops in Volubilis and Marrakech, the food including the mandatory (almost) daily tajine, stayed in truly fabulous places that you would pay $250/per night in the US and saw some pretty neat birds. Orchestrated mainly by Yeray Seminario of birdingthestraight.com who was also our guide for the trip. Yeray was wonderful, I can very much recommend him! We traveled in 2 vans without radios which was probably the worst oversight of the trip: The 22-seater that promised to us never got delivered. Oh well, we made do..

Highs, lows, notes

● Highs: ○ The colorful birds like the Hoopoe, European and Blue-cheeked Bee-eater did not disappoint. We scored on the larks and wheatear and managed to get them all. The 2 Egyptian Nightjars were among the coolest sightings we had. Of course, everybody enjoyed the Pharaoh Eagle Owls. The Cream-colored Courser and the 2 desert sandgrouse species (Spotted and Crowned) were also a wonderful experience. ○ We were able to witness migration in progress: Large circling White Stork flocks, good numbers of shorebirds, Gannets on the move up the coast and many little passerines following riparian areas along rivers in the otherwise inhospitable desert. ○ Seeing the different habitats that Morocco has to offer was a real treat. The Middle Atlas with its cedar forest, the High Atlas with snow and stark rocky alpine vistas, the lush Mediterranean areas along the north coast, witnessing how it got drier and drier as we moved inland, the rocky and sandy deserts of the interior and the impressive surf along the coast off Cape Rhir were all a fantastic experience we would not have wanted to miss. ● Lows: ○ We left Melinda’s bag in Ouarzazate, so had to send Mohammed, our driver, on a 10 hr drive to pick it back up. Actually, he didn’t seem to mind. :-) ○ We missed 3 of the specialty species for the region: Scrub Warbler, Tristram's Warbler and African Crimson-winged Finch. We gave it our best shot though. ○ We had a poor trip in terms of raptors, not even getting decent looks of Long-legged Hawk. On the other hand, we saw all the possible falcons of the area, including Barbary and Lanner. ● Notes: ○ Food was of very high quality. We never had a bad meal all trip long! ○ Lodging was also of very good quality all trip long. Most places were decorated in a traditional Moroccan way and were pure eye candy. ○ Temperatures were mostly cool, ranging from 60s to 70s at the coast. Our day in the High Atlas saw us put on all our clothes as the high at 8200 ft was only in the mid 40s.

Daily Itinerary

April 7, 2019: Arrival and Zaer Forest

The flight from Paris arrived on time, so we were able to immediately drive out to the Zaer Forest to stay busy mid afternoon.. It was nice and warm and every bird was exciting. We found Western Bonelli’s Warbler, a displaying Woodlark, a migrant Common Redstart, our first of many African Blue Tits (which look very different from their European cousins), African Chaffinches, Woodchat Shrike and Booted Eagle. It was a fun way to get our adventure kickstarted!

From there we headed to our hotel in the Rabat medina, Dar’Shan. Even though there was a mixup with the rooms we were able to nicely settle into the neat rooms. Dinner was a tajine-style couscous dish which was nothing short of awesome. We collapsed into bed shortly after.

April 8, 2019: Merja Zerga, Sidi Boughaba

Early morning on the way to the van we heard and saw House Bunting along the pathway out of the medina. We would be in for more later ...

On our first day we drove up to Merja Zerga. We met our guide, Hassan, at the local hotel and found out to our surprise that he was not coming with us. So we had to fend for ourselves on a boat trip with 3 small boats and 3 unexperienced local skippers. We still did well, there were lots of birds! Shorebirds amasse with all the regulars present (1 Curlew Sandpiper was good), Audouin’s and Slender-billed Gulls, a male Montagu’s Harrier and 3 Greater Flamingos in the distance. Over lunch on a bluff in Moulay Bousselham we briefly watched the sea, but found pretty much nothing out there. But, in the sand dunes on the other side were 4 Stone Curlews though! Nice!

In the afternoon we visited Sidi Boughaba near Kenitra. We immediately scored on Red-crested Pochard, Red-knobbed Coot, Marbled Teal and White-headed Duck! Greater Flamingos were also present in good numbers. Two Barbary Partridges flushed out from a scrubby hillside. Birding was fun and the weather was nice, so nobody wanted to leave. Cetti’s Warbler was singing, but we ran out of time.

Overnight at Dar’Shan in Rabat where we also had another fabulous dinner. The guides stayed at the Riad Senso and liked that as well. Unfortunately there was yet another mixup with the van as the 22-seater was no longer available. We would have to make do with 2 vans (and 2 drivers) for the rest of our trip.

April 9, 2019: Zaer Forest, Volubilis

As we had a few minutes in the morning before breakfast, we met up on the roof of the Dar’Shan just after sunrise for operation House Bunting. It took a few minutes, but we all got several nice looks at the actually pretty common target bird.

After that we were off to the Zaer Forest again, with 2 vans rather than 1. We immediately found a pair of Black-crowned Tchagras and had decent scope looks of them along the main road. After that we walked down the area we tried before 2 days ago and, unbelievably, found a Double-spurred Francolin despite the late morning hour. Not only that, everybody was able to see the bird in the scope. Two Barbary Partridges, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and more Western Bonelli’s Warblers were also noteworthy.

Next up was Volubilis which we reached after a 2.5hr drive. The site was neat, yet there were a lot of tourists at the afternoon hour we were there. Most amazingly, we all got to see a Common Nightingale from up close during a 45min tour. Also seen were Lesser Kestrel, Corn Bunting, a super close Thekla Lark (likely near a nest site) and many Sardinian Warblers. A House Bunting was at the gift shop/museum.

Then we took another 2hr drive to Azrou. It was a beautiful drive with the setting sun and we badly wanted to stop for the views, but had to make sure to make it to the hotel in time.

The dinner at La Valley was awesome (with the best trout many of us ever had), as was the place itself, situated very scenically with stunning view of scrubby hills, mountains and the town itself.

April 10, 2019: Around Ifrane, Cedar Forest, Middle Atlas, Zaida Plains

Grand day today! First day where nothing went wrong! :-)

We started early morning with a photo op of a large hotel with several stork nests and found 2 Little Owls posing for us nearby.

Next up was a small pond near Ifrane where we scored on Seebohm’s Wheatear (which actually is a Northern Wheatear of the Moroccan subspecies), Ferruginous Duck, Green Sandpiper and a long-range Long-legged Buzzard. A larger mostly dried-up lake provided the backdrop for our Levaillant’s Green Woodpecker attempt. We first found Nuthatch, Short-toed Treecreeper, Mistle Thrush, Eared Grebe and our first Ruddy Shelducks. Further down the road we found our target and got fabulous looks at the Levaillant’s. Even better where the looks at several Hoopoes. Before lunch we also admired a pair of hunting Lesser Kestrels and Little Ringed Plovers at a grassy area.

Then it was time to say goodbye to this lush area and start our drive to Midelt. A stop in the cedar forest for the Barbary Macaque was brief as there were way too many people and the beasts are now being fed by everybody. Our only Coal Tit came from this brief stop. Then we proceeded driving through the Middle Atlas though patches of woods and mostly open subalpine looking areas with lots of rocks. Very scenic! Along a narrow canyon were Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Pied Flycatcher and Common Raven. We found a pair of Moussier’s Redstart along a little side road next to a pair of Seebohm’s Wheatear. A migrant Short-toed Eagle was finally correctly identified.

Back down on the Zaida plains with the backdrop of the snow covered High Atlas, we tried for larks. We could not believe our luck when we found 3 singing Dupont’s Larks there! We were able to study the birds through the scope for quite a while and were fully satisfied. Also at the same spot were several Greater Short-toed Lark and a pair of Desert Wheatear. Wow!

April 11, 2019: Gorge of the Hamza River, Ziz Valley

Today we had to make the long trek from Midelt to Merzouga. We made several stops en route, but didn’t really get any substantial walking in.

At the Hamza River gorge, we caught up on Black Wheatear, House Martin, Little Ringed Plover and Gray Wagtail. Near a bridge we found a few migrants along the river, such as Western Olivaceous and Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Pied Flycatcher. Highlight however were 2 European Bee-eaters in great morning light going about their business. An Agama Lizard was a nice bonus for Jeff.

In the Ziz River gorge we saw our first Desert Larks. A Black Wheatear was going into a nest hole. We made several stops in the amazingly green valley and found Moroccan White Wagtail, quite a few White-crowned Wheatears and a singing Western Olivaceous Warbler. A little further off at yet another bridge, we glimpsed a few Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters! What a thrill that was! Western Yellow Wagtail, several Western Bonelli’s Warblers and another smart Pied Flycatcher. Overall a little slow at this migration spot.

When we pulled off the paved highway on the dirt tracks towards the Yasmina Hotel, we could not believe our eyes when the orange dunes showed up on the horizon. Bizarre looking hotels, camel caravans and many tourists would follow. Unfortunately, the hotel was a circus, even though the rooms were beautiful.

April 12, 2019: Erb Chebi north, near Rissani

Big day today!!! We started early in 5 4x4 SUVs with 5 guides exploring the desert near the Hotel Yasmina. The first stop yielded a few migrants like Whinchat, Subalpine Warbler and Common Redstart, but it took us a while to get our main target, the Desert Sparrow. We finally got nice looks of this smart little bird. A Fulvous Babbler was seen fleetingly.

The next few stops were all awesome: First we watched Crowned and Spotted Sandgrouse come in to drink at a puddle. Then we made a stop for African Desert Warbler which showed nicely. A Desert Wheatear and a migrant Rufous Bush-Robin were accompanied by a Bar-tailed Lark nearby. Next up were some flats for great looks at Cream-colored Courser. Finally, we were treated to exceptional looks of two Egyptian Nightjars, for some the highlight of the trip so far. Several Greater Hoopoe-larks were seen along the drive as well.

After lunch back at the Hotel Yasmina, we headed back out at 2:30pm for our afternoon expedition. We picked up Lahsen in Rissani and went to an area of several buttes. We immediately found the prize, a Pharaoh Eagle Owl. Nice! A second bird was nearby as well. Just a little later we saw a raptor perched up in a cliff. We finally went close enough to id it as a Lanner. It made sense since we had seen one round our butte a little while before. A Trumpeter Finch was singing from a wire while in the distance 2 Brown-necked Ravens showed us their brown necks on a power pole.

A final stop in the oasis near Rissani yielded a singing Maghreb Lark, a singing Rufous Bush-Robin and, after a lot of waiting and listening, a band of Fulvous Babblers which were moving around along a small canal perching up briefly in the process.

We headed back to the hotel, had an early dinner (we got lucky that they were opening the restaurant up early due to the arrival of an early group) and hit the sack.

April 13, 2019: Merzouga Lake, Scrub Warbler stop

It was sad to leave the dunes, but we were happy to leave the circus of the Yasmina behind. We first stopped at Merzouga Lake. It was the first time in 7 years that it held water this time of the year. Flamingos were plentiful, as were Black-winged Stilt and Pied Avocet. A vagrant Franklin’s Gull found a few days ago stayed long enough for us to see it! Also new were a drake Tufted Duck, Black, Gull-billed and Whiskered Tern. A Greater Hoopoe-Lark was found on the drive in and a bush full of migrant Willow Warblers plus 2 Ferruginous Ducks were also good.

Then we started the drive to Boumalne du Dades. Our lunch was consumed at an open area good for Scrub Warbler, but the bird did not perform. We did however find a bush full of migrants, including a Wryneck, Melodious and Subalpine Warbler, and a Greater Whitethroat. That was fun! After a little while pretty much everybody had gotten onto everything. Desert Wheatear, Bar-tailed and Desert Lark and Great Gray Shrike were nearby also.

Near Tinghir, we stopped at the Todra Gorge. The gorge was imposing and impressive, but there were a lot of tourists and therefore few birds. We finally saw Eurasian Crag Martin from up close, and House Bunting, Black Wheatear and Desert Lark were at the far end. The views of Tinghir were spectacular!

Just in time we reached our hotel, La Perle Du Dades. The place is fabulous, with great birding accessible on the wadi side of the hotel.

April 14, 2019: Tagdilt Track, Ouarzazate Reservoir

Unfortunately, we had to leave La Perle Du Dades. Everybody wanted to stay another night. :-) We started birding right outside the hotel and it was only a mile or so to the Tagdilt Track. We immediately found Little Owl, and Temminck’s Lark, even though we had to sift through a lot of immatures to finally get everybody on an adult. Red-rumped and Desert Wheatear were plentiful. Our main target, the Thick-billed Lark, eluded us on the first attempt, but we were able to get a confiding bird into the scope for everybody to get great looks. Very nice! Also seen were Black-bellied Sandgrouse, both in flight and on the ground. A pair of light-bellied sandgrouse had to be left unidentified.

We left as it was heating up and found a nice lunch stop in a lush valley en route to Ouarzazate. While enjoying the sandwiches we found a close-up Nightingale and everybody got great looks. Again! African Blue Tit, Western Olivaceous Warbler, Hoopoe, Common Redstart, Pied and Spotted Flycatcher were also around us.

In Ouarzazate at around 3pm we checked into the Hotel Oscar at the Atlas Studio and went back out for an afternoon outing to Ouarzazate Reservoir. The water level was very low and it would have been a maybe 1mi walk to the water’s edge. We found a few trees that had some migrants including Subalpine and Western Orphean Warbler, and a Pied Flycatcher. The 2 species of bee-eater, European and Blue-cheeked, were also around. A House Bunting was away from its normal habitat.

April 15, 2019: En route to Agadir

Today was mostly a driving day as we had to complete the longest drive of the trip, from Ouarzazate to Agadir. We stopped a few times en route, with a few highlights. Two stops near bridges were nice, but largely unproductive. Still, we found some migrants, Moroccan White Wagtail, Maghreb Lark and Corn Bunting.

At the spot for Maghreb Wheatear, we did quickly found a male, but one person did not get on the bird. We tried to stay on it, but lost it in a gully. While looking, we found Trumpeter Finch and Desert Lark. Just a little further we were at a neat little creek crossing with one date palm. Several Trumpeter Finches, a small flock of Spanish Sparrows, a confiding Melodious Warbler and a Greater Whitethroat were all neat. Oddly, Stefan unknowingly obtained a picture of a Western Orphean Warbler while tracking down the Melodious, so some folks also got on that. Another Melodious Warbler and a Pied Flycatcher were at a riparian area just beyond.

From that point on, it was mostly driving. After lunch we briefly stopped at an area known to be good for Barbary Falcon, but only found a pair of Eurasian Kestrels there. It also looked like a promising area with running water, but we saw few birds.

We finally arrived in Agadir at the Atlas Kasbah after 7pm. Unfortunately, we had lost a bag in Ouarzazate, so there was much confusion. Dinner at the Atlas Kasbah was excellent. We fell into bed just after 10pm.

April 16, 2019: Souss-Massa NP

In the morning we birded the south end of the Souss-Massa NP, i.e. the Oued Massa area. The area around the river bridge was very active. We found Brown-throated Martin, Zitting Cisticola, Black-crowned Tchagra and Rufous-crowned Bush-Robin. Amazingly, we were able to watch a Cetti’s Warbler preen himself in the scope!

Walking along the road in the dunes we found several migrating Northern and one Black-eared Wheatear, Great Gray Shrike and Common Redstart.

Near the beach at our restroom stop at a campground, Doug spotted a Northern Bald Ibis fly over! Very nice! Sandwich Terns and a not-well-seen Northern Gannet were moving offshore.

For lunch we headed all the way back to the Atlas Kasbah. It was fabulous, like all the meals we had there. After a siesta we headed out to the mouth of the Oued Souss in Agadir. It was amazingly active, with many gulls, terns and shorebirds. Highlights included 3 Lesser Crested Terns, a molting Mediterranean Gull and about 10 Curlew Sandpipers. Eurasian Curlew, Whimbrel, Gray and Common Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone, Greenshank were all present in good numbers. 2 Stone Curlews were flushed by a dog.

Before dinner, we had a 30min long ceremony about tea which was very informative and relaxing. Dinner at the Atlas Kasbah was awesome again.

April 17, 2019: Cape Rhir, Tamri, Essaouira

An early morning stop at Cape Rhir was largely uneventful. There was an initial strong push of Northern Gannets coming through, but that stopped once we had gotten settled. We could not find any Spectacled Warblers in the scrub nearby. However, there were Moussier’s Redstart, Black-eared Wheatear and Stone Curlew.

Near Tamri we hit paydirt, a flock of 23 Northern Bald Ibises on the cliffs! We obtained great looks of these odd looking, but fabulous birds. :-)

Our lunch stop was an overlook along the highway. There was a Moussier’s Redstart family, with a young being fed.

Then we took a 1.5hr drive to the hotel in Essaouira (where Jeff found a Mediterranean Chameleon nearby!), checked in and had a brief siesta. At 4:30pm we went out again to the Oued Ksop. Our first stop yielded better looks at Brown-throated Martin. There was a storm threatening, but we only ended up having some light drizzle for a while. 2-3 Eleonora’s Falcons were the highlight of the afternoon, but we also managed to get decent looks at European Turtle-Dove, several Spoonbills and Greater Flamingos and finally a Purple Heron on the way out. The Eleonora’s Falcons were early arrivals; about 700 pairs breed just offshore on Mogador Island.

Dinner and night at the Villa Amaryllis in Essaouira.

April 18, 2019: Essaouira, Argan Oil stop, Marrakech

After a brief morning walk at the main plaza in Essaouira we hit the road towards Marrakesh. We stopped en route for a place that sells argan products. We were given a quick presentation of how the argan fruits are processed and were able to sample a few products. Nice little stop!

Our lunch was had at a travel plaza. A little later we found Willow Warblers and European Turtle Dove at a gas station.

Finally in Marrakesh at around 2pm, we checked into our hotel, the 2Ciels. At 3pm we were met by our excellent guide Youssef for a Marrakech city tour. We walked from the Koutoubia Mosque to the market square, Jemaa el-Fnaa. From there we got a tour through the bustling medina until our senses were overloaded to the point that we had to go back to the hotel. :-) It was amazing though! Highlights on the circuit were looks at the communal oven, the furnace for a hammam and a fourouk.

Our excellent dinner was at the 2Ciels.

April 19, 2019: The High Atlas (Oukaimeden)

Our final full day in Morocco! And it was a special day, as we went all the way up to the High Atlas. We got an early start and first birded the lower elevations of the High Atlas. We could not pick a Tristam’s out of the many Subalpine Warblers, but we still managed to get great looks at Eurasian Jay and Rock Bunting.

At Oukaimeden we worked all morning and early afternoon on the African Crimson-winged Finch, but struck out. Rock Sparrow, Black Redstart, Horned Lark, both Alpine and Red-billed Chough and Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush were relatively easy to find in the cool temperatures. All pretty good birds, actually! We were in the clouds some of the time and it was a little bit windy therefore.

On the way down we made two successful stops for White-throated Dipper and Barbary Falcon. The Barbary Falcon is considered to be a subspecies of Peregrine Falcon by some listing authorities and does not look like in the book at all.

A brief stop at a berber carpet place on the way back was interesting. Back at the 2Ciels for another great dinner. This was also when we wrapped up the trip and said goodbye.

April 20, 2019: Our way home

After breastfast folks geared up for their next leg. Some went to destinations in Europe, others straight home. Even others stayed for a day or two longer.

It was fitting that a House Bunting was singing on top of a pillar labeled B (B for bunting) from INSIDE the terminal building. This brought a big smile to my face! We shall be back. Inshallah ...

Species List: Total of 184 (species not breeding in Morocco are pre-fixed with x)

Ruddy Shelduck (many in Middle Atlas, Lake Merzouga) Northern Shoveler Gadwall Mallard Marbled Teal (Sidi Boughaba, Merzouga Lake, Essaouira) Red-crested Pochard (Sidi Boughaba) Common Pochard (2 at Sidi Boughaba, Lake Merzouga) Ferruginous Duck (2 at Sidi Boughaba, 2 at Lake Merzouga) xTufted Duck (1 at Lake Merzouga) White-headed Duck (Sidi Boughaba) Common Quail (heard at hotel in Azrou) Barbary Partridge (2 at Sidi Boughaba, 2 flushed at Zaer Forest) Double-spurred Francolin (1 in the scope for all at Zaer Forest) Greater Flamingo (Sidi Boughaba, Essaouira) Little Grebe Great Crested Grebe xEared Grebe (8 at Ifrane) Rock Pigeon Common Wood-Pigeon European Turtle-Dove Eurasian Collared-Dove Laughing Dove Spotted Sandgrouse (several drinking at puddle at Merzouga) Black-bellied Sandgrouse (several flybys at Tagdilt Track) Crowned Sandgrouse (several drinking at puddle at Merzouga) Egyptian Nightjar (2 at Merzouga) Alpine Swift (a few near Meknes) Pallid Swift Little Swift (Ziz Gorge) Eurasian Moorhen Eurasian Coot Red-knobbed Coot (Sidi Boughaba with a single Eurasian to compare) Eurasian Thick-knee (Stone Curlew) (4 at Moulay Bousselham beach, Oued Souss) Black-winged Stilt Pied Avocet xEurasian Oystercatcher xBlack-bellied Plover (Gray Plover) Kentish Plover xCommon Ringed Plover Little Ringed Plover xWhimbrel xEurasian Curlew Ruddy Turnstone xCurlew Sandpiper (1 at Merja Zerga, 10 at oued Souss) xSanderling xDunlin Common Sandpiper xGreen Sandpiper (1 near Isfane) xCommon Greenshank xCommon Redshank (several at Merja Zerga) Cream-colored Courser (several in Merzouga) xSlender-billed Gull (2 at Merja Zerga) Black-headed Gull xMediterranean Gull (1 at Oued Souss) Audouin’s Gull (Merja Zerga, Tamri) Yellow-legged Gull xLesser Black-backed Gull xFranklin’s Gull (1 mega-rarity at Merzouga Lake) Little Tern (1 only at Merja Zerga) Gull-billed Tern xCaspian Tern (1 at Cape Rhir) xBlack Tern (1 in breeding plumage at Merja Zerga) Whiskered Tern (several at Merja Zerga) Sandwich Tern xLesser Crested Tern (3 at Oued Souss) White Stork xNorthern Gannet (many in passage at Cape Rhir) Great Cormorant Gray Heron Purple Heron (1 in Essaouira) Little Egret Cattle Egret Glossy Ibis Northern Bald Ibis (1 flyover at Souss-Mass NP, 23 at Tamri) Eurasian Spoonbill Black-winged Kite (3 in various places) Short-toed Eagle (3-4 in various places) Booted Eagle Eurasian Marsh-Harrier Montagu’s Harrier (1 at Merja Zerga, 1 at Merzouga) Eurasian Sparrowhawk Black Kite (many at Sidi Boughaba) Long-legged Buzzard (only 1 brief look at Ifrane) Pharaoh Eagle Owl (a pair near Rissani) Little Owl Eurasian Hoopoe Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Ziz Valley, Boumalne du Dades) European Bee-eater Eurasian Wryneck (1 east of Erfoud) Great Spotted Woodpecker Levaillant’s Woodpecker (1 well-seen near Ifrane) Lesser Kestrel (Ifrane, Merzouga Lake) Eurasian Kestrel Eleonora’s Falcon (2-3 early arrivals in Essaouira) Lanner Falcon (1 on cliff near Rissani) Peregrine Falcon Barbary Falcon (1 at Oukaimeden) Black-crowned Tchagra (2 at Zaer Forest, 2 at Oued Massa) Great Gray Shrike (sahara spp inland and algeriensis at the coast) Woodchat Shrike Eurasian Jay Maghreb Magpie (birds with blue earspot near the coast) Red-billed Chough (many at Oukaimeden) Alpine Chough (many at Oukaimeden) Eurasian Jackdaw Brown-necked Raven (around Merzouga) Common Raven Greater Hoopoe-Lark (several around Merzouga) Thick-billed Lark (1 at Tagdilt Track) Bar-tailed Lark (Merzouga, east of Erfoud) Desert Lark (Ziz Gorge, Todra Gorge) Horned Lark (several at Oukaimeden) Temminck’s Lark (many at Tagdilt Track) Greater Short-toed Lark (several at Zaida Plains) Dupont’s Lark (3 singers at Zaida Plains late afternoon) Wood Lark (birds displaying at Zaer Forest and Ifrane) Thekla Lark Crested Lark Maghreb Lark (several around Boumalne du Dades) Brown-throated (Plain) Martin (Oued Souss and Essaouira) Bank Swallow Eurasian Crag-Martin (seen well at Todra Gorge) Barn Swallow Red-rumped Swallow (along south coast) Common House-Martin Coal Tit African Blue Tit (common at most places) Great Tit Eurasian Nuthatch (1 at Ifrane) Short-toed Treecreeper (Ifane, on the way to Oukaimeden) Eurasian Wren (1 heard at Oukaimeden) White-throated Dipper (1 at Oukaimeden) Common Bulbul Cetti’s Warbler (heard at most wetlands, 1 in the scope at Oued Massa!) Western Bonelli’s Warbler (several at Zaer Forest, Oued Hamsa and Ziz Valley) xWillow Warbler (2 well seen at rest stop outside of Marrakech) Western Olivaceous Warbler (several in lowland locations) Melodious Warbler (3 near Boumalne du Dades) Zitting Cisticola Eurasian Blackcap African Desert Warbler (Merzouga) Western Orphean Warbler (2 near Boumalne du Dades) Subalpine Warbler (at several spots) Sardinian Warbler (closer to coast) xGreater Whitethroat Fulvous Babbler (Chatterer) (Merzouga, a flock near Rissani) xSpotted Flycatcher Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin (1 at Merzouga, 1 near Rissani) Common Nightingale (singing hard in bushy areas, one seen in the scope by all!) xEuropean Pied Flycatcher (several migrants) Moussier’s Redstart (1 at Middle Atlas, Cape Rhir, 3 at/below Oukaimeden) xCommon Redstart (a few migrants) Black Redstart (Oukaimeden) Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush (2 at Oukaimeden) Blue Rock Thrush (various locations) Whinchat (a few migrants) European Stonechat (Volubilis) White-crowned Wheatear (common at all desert locations) Black Wheatear (Oued Hamsa and Ziv Gorge) xNorthern Wheatear (migrants at Oued Massa and Zaita Plains) Seebohm’s Wheatear (Middle Atlas, Oukaimeden) Maghreb Wheatear (1 east of Boumalne du Dades) Red-rumped Wheatear (a few near/at Tagdilt Track) Black-eared Wheatear (1 at Oued Souss, several at Cape Rhir) Desert Wheatear (Tagdilt Track) Mistle Thrush (near Ifrane, Oukaimeden) Eurasian Blackbird Spotless Starling Gray Wagtail (Ziz Gorge) Western Yellow Wagtail White Wagtail (several Moroccan spp in the south) Common Chaffinch (African spp) Trumpeter Finch (2 near Russani) European Greenfinch Eurasian Linnet European Goldfinch European Serin Corn Bunting Rock Bunting (2-3 below Oukaimeden) Cirl Bunting (seen well in the scope near Ifrane) House Bunting (everywhere in/near town) House Sparrow Spanish Sparrow (flocks east of Boumalne du Dades and Cape Rhir) Desert Sparrow (2 at Merzouga) Rock Sparrow (Petronia) (several at Oukaimeden)

Other critters:

Barbary Ground Squirrel Barbary Macaque

Spanish Terrapin Yellow-eared Slider European Pond Turtle Spur-thighed Tortoise Mediterranean Chameleon

Andalusian Wall Lizard North African Ocellated Lizard Leopard Fringe-footed Lizard Bibron’s Agama Lizard Atlas Day Gecko Moorish Gecko

Berber Toad Sahara Frog

Viperine Snake cynomorium coccineum - parasitic plant

*** Images by Jeff Davis, Bob Siciliano, Doug Ferro, Jan and Kase Kasameyer and Stefan Schlick are all copyrighted ***